Fears are growing that Bellsbank could lose its only childcare provision for working parents.

Earlier this year, East Ayrshire Council announced a £6 million investment for the village that will see a new primary school, early childhood centre and community facilities which will replace the existing school.

But Kirsty Ramage, project leader of the Bellsbank Project, claims the new building will “not have the space” for their affordable crèche for local working parents, which presently has over 40 children registered with the group.

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She told the Post: “We are a volunteering organisation and we have been going since 1983 - we have been in the Community Wing for 35 years. We have art groups, yoga, keep fit.

“The biggest thing was that we ran a crèche which allowed the parents to go along to classes then a number of years ago, because it wasn’t very busy, we developed the crèche for anyone to use it for childcare - it is now developed to such a point that working parents are using the crèche.

“We have over 40 children every week and the majority of them belong to working parents because there is no other childcare available in the area.

“We have our council nursery that is going to be part of the new build but they don’t take children of working parents. It’s crazy - if you are looking for work and are on benefits you can get a place in the nursery but as soon as you find a job, you lose that place.

“And the crèche will disappear when the new building comes.

“We have a men’s room, a computer room, a meeting room, a double activity room, the project room and crèche and an office. We don’t get any funding from the council but we do get in-kind support so they give us the office, the crèche and a classroom for free.

“With the new community facilities that they are proposing, it is one big room that can be divided into two, which isn’t going to suit anyone that uses the wing, least of all us because we will not have a crèche or an office.

“It is diabolical.”

Alex McPhee, depute chief executive of East Ayrshire Council, said: “Once the new facility is complete, parents with three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds will be able to access 1140 hours of childcare a year between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday for 48 weeks of the year. Children under two, with an assessed need, will still be able to access a place via a Request for Assistance from a referring agency. If there is a need for a crèche service in the evening, this could be accommodated in the school (for children over five years) and the Early Childhood Centre (0-five years) subject to registration with the Care Inspectorate and an appropriate letting arrangement.

“Our Vibrant Communities staff have been working with the project to try to accommodate their needs within the existing plans or to identify alternative accommodation within Bellsbank. Unfortunately funding is not available for [the] creche, but we will continue to work with the group to try to find a way forward.”